Apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties

ABSTRACT

The present invention comprises a railroad tie disposed below the rails to support the rails and comprising a protrusion on a sloped surface of the railroad tie; and a reinforcing plate comprising a groove on a sloped surface of the reinforcing plate, which corresponds to the sloped surface of the railroad tie, wherein the reinforcing plate is coupled with the railroad ties by inserting the protrusion into the groove and opposing the sloped surface of the reinforcing plate to the sloped surface of the railroad tie.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for reinforcing railroadties and particularly an apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties whichdisperses a force applied to the side of a railroad tie, therebypreventing railroad ties and/or rails from being deformed or broken andholding rails to the correct gauge, and facilitates installation andrepair of railroad ties.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional railroad trackincluding track ballast 10, rails 20 and railroad ties 30. FIG. 2 is aperspective view of a conventional railroad track.

The railroad ties 30 are members generally laid transverse to the rails20 and spaced apart from each other, on which the rails 20 are supportedand fixed, to transfer the loads from rails 20 to the track ballast 10and subgrade, and to hold the rails 20 to the correct gauge. Railroadties 30 have traditionally been made of wood, but concrete is now widelyused. The railroad ties 30 are normally laid on top of the track ballast10, which supports and holds them in place, and provides drainage andflexibility. The track ballast 10 is packed between, below and aroundthe railroad ties 30.

Generally, the rails 20 suffer a force in the travel direction A(hereinafter, “travel-directional force”) and a force in the direction Btransverse to the rails 20 (hereinafter, “side-directional force”). Theside-directional force generally results from centrifugal force which isgenerated by the train turning on a curved railroad track. These forcesare transferred to the track ballast 10 through the railroad ties 30.

When a train travels on the rails 20, the track ballast 10 which isplaced between the railroad ties 30 supports the railroad ties 30through the front surfaces 30 a of the railroad ties 30 against thetravel-directional force, thereby preventing the railroad ties 30 frombeing deformed and moved.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the supporting force distribution of aconventional railroad track.

In a curved railroad track, the track ballast 10 which is placed aroundthe side surface 30 b of the railroad tie 30 supports the railroad tie30 through the side surface 30 b against the side-directional force F.However, because the area of the side surface 30 b, which the trackballast 10 supports, is smaller than that of the front surface 30 a, itis more difficult for the track ballast 10 to support the railroad tie30 against the side-directional force F than the travel-directionalforce. Therefore, the rails 20 may be deformed due to deformation ormovement of the railroad ties 30 by the side-directional force F.

When the rails 20 expand during the summer heat, the expanded rails 20also apply side-directional force to the railroad ties 30 to which therails 20 are fixed. If the track ballast 10 cannot support the railroadtie 30 sufficiently against the side-directional force, derailment mayoccur.

Furthermore, there has been a problem in conventional railroad tracksthat the railroad ties cannot be easily and swiftly installed atconstant intervals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus forreinforcing railroad ties which can prevent rails from being deformed bya side-directional force which results from the centrifugal force of atrain and/or a side-directional force which results from heat-expandedrails.

Another purpose of the present invention is to facilitate preciseinstallation of railroad ties at a designated position at constantintervals and swift replacement of damaged railroad ties.

Another purpose of the present invention is to prevent a reinforcingplate from being separated upward due to vibration of a train byinstalling a rotary latch on top of railroad ties.

In order to achieve the above purposes, an embodiment of the presentinvention is an apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties comprising: arailroad tie disposed below rails to support the rails and comprising aprotrusion on a sloped surface of the railroad tie; and a reinforcingplate comprising a groove on a sloped surface of the reinforcing plate,the sloped surface of the reinforcing plate corresponding to the slopedsurface of the railroad tie, wherein the reinforcing plate is coupledwith the railroad ties by inserting the protrusion into the groove andopposing the sloped surface of the reinforcing plate to the slopedsurface of the railroad tie. The railroad tie and the reinforcing platemay be made of ferroconcrete.

The side of the railroad tie has a trapezoidal shape, and the slopedsurface of the railroad tie corresponds to an unparallel side of thetrapezoidal shape. The side of the reinforcing plate has aninverted-trapezoidal shape, and the sloped surface of the reinforcingplate corresponds to an unparallel side of the inverted-trapezoidalshape.

The end surface of the protrusion becomes larger as the protrusionextends toward the end surface of the protrusion, and the bottom surfaceof the groove becomes larger as the groove extends toward the bottomsurface of the groove to correspond to the protrusion. The protrusion isengaged with the groove by moving the reinforcing plate down to therailroad tie arranged under the reinforcing plate.

The end surface of the protrusion is vertical to the top surface of therailroad tie, and the bottom surface of the groove is vertical to thetop surface of the reinforcing plate.

A rotary latch may be disposed on the top surface of the railroad tie,wherein the rotary latch rotates to prevent the reinforcing plate frommoving upward.

The apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties according to the presentinvention couples the reinforcing plate with the railroad ties such thatthe area which the track ballast contacts is increased. Therefore, thepresent invention can prevent the rails from being deformed due to thedeformation or movement of the railroad ties because the supportingforce which is applied to the railroad ties against the side-directionalforce is reduced by the amount of the supporting force applied to thereinforcing plate. Since the present invention can remove theprobability of rail deformation, the speed of a train can be increasedand the chance of derailment can be reduced.

When railroad ties are damaged or rails need to be repaired, thereinforcing plate can be easily installed and removed due to thecoupling system of the present invention, which can reduce maintenancecosts for railroad tracks.

Furthermore, the rotary latch can prevent the reinforcing plate frombeing separated upward due to vibration of a train.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional railroad track.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional railroad track.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the supporting force distribution of aconventional railroad track.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an apparatus for reinforcing railroad tiesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus for reinforcing railroadties according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the apparatus for reinforcing railroad tiesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus for reinforcing railroadties according to an embodiment of the present invention, which isinstalled in a curved railroad track.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the supporting force distribution of theapparatus for reinforcing railroad ties according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties according to anembodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the apparatus for reinforcing railroadties according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is aperspective view of the apparatus for reinforcing railroad tiesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sideview of the apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties according to anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of theapparatus for reinforcing railroad ties according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, which is installed in a curved railroad track.FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the supporting force distribution of theapparatus for reinforcing railroad ties according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

The apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties 500 comprises railroad ties110 having protrusions 111 and 112, and a reinforcing plate 210. Therailroad ties 110 and the reinforcing plate 210 may be made of concreteor ferroconcrete.

The railroad ties 110 are arranged parallel with each other on trackballast 10. The track ballast 10 is packed between, below and around therailroad ties 110 like conventional railroad tracks. Rails 300 are fixedon top of the railroad tie 110. The railroad ties 110, which are laidtransverse to the rails 300, transfer the loads from the rails 300 tothe track ballast 10 and hold the rails 300 in their original positions.

The railroad tie 110 is a hexahedron, and the side 110 c of the railroadtie 110 has a trapezoidal shape as shown in FIG. 6. The railroad tie 110has the protrusions 111 and 112 which protrude on the opposed slopedsurfaces 110 a and 110 b, which correspond to unparallel sides of thetrapezoidal shape. The railroad tie 110 is coupled with the reinforcingplate 210 through the protrusions 111 and 112 as explained below.

The reinforcing plate 210 is placed between the railroad ties 110. Theside 210 c of the reinforcing plate 210 has an inverted-trapezoidalshape as shown in FIG. 6. The reinforcing plate 210 has grooves 211 and212, into which the protrusions 111 and 112 are inserted, on the opposedsloped surfaces 210 a and 210 b, which correspond to unparallel sides ofthe inverted-trapezoidal shape.

As shown in FIG. 4, in order to insert the protrusions 111 and 112 intothe grooves 211 and 212, the reinforcing plate 210 is moved down to therailroad ties 110 which have already been arranged on the track ballast10. FIG. 5 shows the reinforcing plates 210 coupled with the railroadties 110.

Because the side shape of the railroad tie 110 is trapezoidal and theside shape of the reinforcing plates 210 is inverted-trapezoidal, thearea of the starting point of inserting the reinforcing plate 210between the railroad ties 110 is larger than that of the ending point,which facilitates inserting the reinforcing plate 210 between therailroad ties 110.

In order to prevent the reinforcing plate 210 from being separated fromthe railroad tie 110, the end surfaces 111 a and 112 a of theprotrusions 111 and 112 become larger as the protrusions 111 and 112extend from the railroad tie 110 to the end surfaces 111 a and 112 a ofthe protrusions 111 and 112. Additionally, the bottom surfaces 211 a and212 a of the grooves 211 and 212 become larger as the grooves 211 and212 extend from the sloped surfaces 210 a and 210 b to the center of thereinforcing plate 210 to correspond to the protrusions 111 and 112.

Here, the end surfaces 111 a and 112 a, and the bottom surfaces 211 aand 212 a do not decline like the sloped surfaces 110 a, 110 b, 210 aand 210 b, but are vertical to the top surface of the railroad tie 110or reinforcing plate 210.

The combination of the side shapes of the railroad tie 110 andreinforcing plate 210, and the triangular prism shapes of theprotrusions 111 and 112 and grooves 211 and 212 prevents the reinforcingplate 210 from moving down excessively between the railroad ties 110.

The locations of the protrusions 111 and 112, and those of the grooves211 and 212 into which the protrusions 111 and 112 are inserted, becomethe reference points for coupling the reinforcing plate 210 with therailroad ties 110, which can enhance the speed and preciseness ofcoupling them.

Also, because the railroad ties 110 can be arranged at constantintervals by the reinforcing plates 210 which are inserted between therailroad ties 110, the reinforcing plate 210 facilitates swift andprecise placement of the railroad ties 110 to their designated positionsduring the installation or repair of the railroad ties 110.

In order to prevent the reinforcing plate 210 from being separatedupward, a rotary latch 130 may be installed on the top surface of therailroad tie 110 as shown in FIG. 5. After the reinforcing plate 210 iscoupled with the railroad tie 110, the rotary latch 130 rotates in thedirection illustrated by arrows in FIG. 5 to be placed on the topsurface of the reinforcing plate 210, thereby blocking the upwardmovement of the reinforcing plate 210. In order to remove thereinforcing plate 210 from the railroad ties 110, the rotary latch 130rotates in the opposite direction.

In order to facilitate lifting of the reinforcing plate 210, a handle215 may be installed on the top surface of the reinforcing plate 210 andbe folded or unfolded on the reinforcing plate 210.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the railroad track is curved, the railroad ties110 are arranged in a radial direction and the sloped surfaces of thereinforcing plate 210 are correspondingly formed in the same direction.

Referring to FIG. 8, because both the railroad ties 110 and thereinforcing plate 210 are supported by the track ballast 10, thesupporting force against the side-directional force F is distributed tothe reinforcing plate 210 as well as the railroad ties 110. Therefore,the supporting force on the railroad ties 110 is reduced by the amountof the supporting force applied to the reinforcing plate 210, therebypreventing the rails 300 from being deformed due to the deformation ormovement of the railroad ties 110. Also, the railroad ties of thepresent invention can bear larger side-directional force than those ofconventional railroad tracks and are deformed less than those ofconventional railroad tracks.

From the above embodiment for the present invention, it is noted thatmodifications and variations could be made by a person skilled in theart in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it should be understoodthat changes may be made for a particular embodiment of the presentinvention within its scope and spirit outlined by the appended claims.

1. An apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties, comprising: a railroadtie disposed below rails to support the rails and comprising aprotrusion on a sloped surface of the railroad tie; and a reinforcingplate comprising a groove on a sloped surface of the reinforcing plate,the sloped surface of the reinforcing plate corresponding to the slopedsurface of the railroad tie, wherein the reinforcing plate is coupledwith the railroad ties by inserting the protrusion into the groove andopposing the sloped surface of the reinforcing plate to the slopedsurface of the railroad tie.
 2. The apparatus for reinforcing railroadties of claim 1, wherein a side of the railroad tie has a trapezoidalshape, and the sloped surface of the railroad tie corresponds to anunparallel side of the trapezoidal shape, and wherein a side of thereinforcing plate has an inverted-trapezoidal shape, and the slopedsurface of the reinforcing plate corresponds to an unparallel side ofthe inverted-trapezoidal shape.
 3. The apparatus for reinforcingrailroad ties of claim 2, wherein an end surface of the protrusionbecomes larger as the protrusion extends toward the end surface of theprotrusion, wherein a bottom surface of the groove becomes larger as thegroove extends toward the bottom surface of the groove to correspond tothe protrusion, and wherein the protrusion is engaged with the groove bymoving the reinforcing plate down to the railroad tie arranged under thereinforcing plate.
 4. The apparatus for reinforcing railroad ties ofclaim 3, wherein the end surface of the protrusion is vertical to a topsurface of the railroad tie, and wherein the bottom surface of thegroove is vertical to a top surface of the reinforcing plate.
 5. Theapparatus for reinforcing railroad ties of claim 1, further comprising ahandle disposed on a top surface of the reinforcing plate.
 6. Theapparatus for reinforcing railroad ties of claim 1, wherein the railroadtie and the reinforcing plate are made of ferroconcrete.
 7. Theapparatus for reinforcing railroad ties of claim 1, further comprising arotary latch disposed on a top surface of the railroad tie, wherein therotary latch rotates to prevent the reinforcing plate from movingupward.